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His name has not been released. State corrections officials identified the inmate killed as Wesley Eugene Turner, 35, who had been in prison since 1996 for multiple offenses, including second-degree murder. - A federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte has indicted Erice Lemond Blyther, 46, of Hoffman, N.C., for smuggling a controlled substance at Lanesboro Correctional Institution while employed as a correctional officer. Bertie isn't the only state prison with staffing problems. In 2012, an inmate filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Lanesboro corrections officers cracked his skull with a baton and then destroyed a surveillance video that showed the assault. The settlement was reached after the trio and two other state prisoners, Orlando Harshaw and Stacey Wynn, sued Lanesboro Correctional Institution Superintendent Lawrence Parsons and other prison officials for allowing and facilitating attacks by gang members in a part of the prison run by Unit Supervisor Jeffrey E. Wall. research before making any education decisions. It did not appear to be a normal prison relationship that a correctional officer should have with inmates, Underwood said. Officers said excessive overtime work can leave them burned out and exhausted. Two other inmates involved in the gang-related fight that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto and Joel Corto Ortiz also pleaded guilty to felonies and had up to four and five years, respectively, added to their prison sentences. It's unclear whether better staffing would have saved Callahan's life. Prison leaders say that when staff vacancies at a prison rise, they make adjustments, such as moving prisoners, reducing inmate programs and sending fewer staff members to special training. John Sapper is appointed as the new administrator at Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [6], By the end of the day, 111 prisoners were dead; and 37 more were injured. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. The five men say they filed the lawsuit because of their time at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. There are no national standards for minimum staffing at prisons, experts say. Once in a lifetime, After years of negotiations, GOP leaders reach a breakthrough on Medicaid expansion, Alex Murdaughs attorneys say theyll appeal double-murder conviction, 16-year-old Raleigh teen charged with murder in Robeson County killing, The evidence was clear: Murdaugh juror reveals quick deliberation in SC murder trial, Day 29: Murdaugh sentenced to life, attorneys say theyll appeal to US Supreme Court if needed, What were the deciding factors in the Murdaugh guilty verdict? He stares into the office for a few moments before walking away. The letter also stated that Wall intentionally tried to conceal contraband that might have been used for pending criminal charges or an internal investigation. The inmate was identified as 35-year-old Wesley Turner in a news release from N.C . But SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation, said she was troubled to learn that inmates at the prison roamed freely in areas they should not have been in.. Recently, North Carolina inmates were able to smuggle a cell phone into the detention facility in which they were detained, and use it to orchestrate the kidnapping of the father of a prosecutor in the state. A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmates 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. Officers and staff have orchestrated illegal smuggling operations, beaten shackled inmates and engaged in sex with prisoners. But Jeffery Wall the unit manager who made the gesture has been accused in federal lawsuits of facilitating two other gang attacks the same year. Hes a manager at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. He pleads with two other inmates to lend him a weapon. A former high-ranking administrator accused of fostering violence at one of North Carolinas most dangerous prisons acknowledged in federal court Tuesday that he kept homemade weapons such as shanks hidden in the ceiling of his prison office. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". Angela Smith, who worked as an officer at Tabor Correctional Institution from 2010 to 2014, said she was often asked to work overtime because the prison was so understaffed. But it was sometimes hard for prison officers to find those shanks, Parsons said. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years. You're tired. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. Blyther is charged with use of interstate facility to facilitate bribery, which carries a maximum prison term of five years and a $250,000 fine; extortion under color of official right, which carries a maximum prison term of 20 years and a $250,000 fine; and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a maximum prison term of 10 years and a $250,000 fine. Lanesboro Correctional Institution Lanesboro Correctional Institution is located in Polkton North Carolina. From a common area, Cook can see Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz the prisoners who have just met with Wall. Ortiz is scheduled to get out in 2019. Turner, according to the NCDPS, was serving time in the prison for the chargesof second degree murder, conspiracy murder first degree, and an attempted prison escape. She earned an extra $36,500 in overtime that year, records show. They entered their dogs in fights and watched them die. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Are there more visitors than ever in Bradenton, Sarasota as peak season approaches? When investigators examine surveillance videos of the murder, theyre troubled by what happens a few hours later: A man approaches a nurses office, where the killer is being held. They assert that releasing the videos could jeopardize prison security. Police are asking anyone with information related to the Easley murder to contact them immediately. Two state investigators said they reached the same opinion. It was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go in the media from being a grieving father who lost a wife and a son to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them, Judge Clifton Newman said to Alex Murdaugh Friday. A prison with 1,000 inmates should have a total of at least 300 to 350 officers, he said. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. There, Ortiz and Zelaya-Sorto attacked and seriously injured inmate Christopher Cook. Minutes before the Sept. 28, 2012, assault that killed Wesley Turner, two inmates involved visited the office of an assistant unit manager at the Anson County prison, State Bureau of Investigation agents say. MMA Junkie says that police officer Henrique Otavio Oliveira Velozo is a suspect. [5] No policemen were injured. The officer opens the door for an inmate, and the three gang members follow him into a cell block where they dont belong. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive. Located in Polkton, about 45 miles east of Charlotte, Lanesboro has repeatedly drawn. Said Gary Harkins, former research and information director for ACOIN: "People can get killed when you don't have enough staff. 11.291 (IACmHR, Apr. Friends and family described Juan Ortiz-Castillo as very jealous of his wife, according to police. Tony Underwood, who headed the Charlotte areas SBI office at the time, said hes still troubled by what investigators learned about Walls relationship with inmates. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Cook, the target of the 2012 attack, was released from prison in March. Soon afterward, a corrections officer allowed the inmates into the pod where the murder took place. But Daniel Roberts, one of the attorneys, told a judge at a court hearing that the videos and other evidence suggest prison officials either sanctioned the attack or looked the other way. I believe its not a coincidence that they are in that office within minutes of carrying out that hit, Bridges told an Observer reporter. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Walker said she cant discuss specifics, but the investigation was not related to the Turner case. At Bertie, Callahan was responding to a fire set inside a trash can on the evening of April 26 when an inmate beat her to death with the fire extinguisher she'd brought to douse the flames, state officials say. Wilburn English, a prison sergeant who previously worked at Lanesboro, recalled a day when Parsons and Wall came to talk with him. Ronald Covington, a former captain at Lanesboro, testified that Wall appeared to be close to a gang-affiliated inmate. It is a close custody facility, which is the equivalent of maximum security. Nikki Haley will be at Horry-Georgetown Technical College on March 13, a month after she launched her White House bid. Soon, the three convicted inmates all reported gang members were waiting at the door that would allow them into E pod, an adjacent unit. Strong of the FBIs Charlotte Field Office, joins U.S. Attorney Murray in making the announcement. CHARLOTTE A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmate's 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. ANSON COUNTY, NC (WBTV) - One inmate is dead andanother injured after an incident at a state prison in Anson County. She and her colleagues in the Charlotte SBI office were frequently called to investigate crimes there, including officers charged with bringing drugs to inmates. November 2014 - Five former Lanesboro inmates filed a federal lawsuit alleging that officers at the Anson County prison repeatedly helped gang-affiliated inmates get weapons and wage attacks. Charlotte, NC 28202, Charlotte: (704) 344-6222 Just out of view, in the lower right-hand corner of the video, a second fight erupts. At other prisons of comparable size, officers told the Observer, it's common for about 50 or 60 officers to work the day shift. An officer in a control room opened the door for them. [14] ANSON COUNTY, N.C. One inmate is dead after an incident at Lanesboro Correctional Center in Anson County. In October, the prisons top administrator, David Mitchell, was injured after he was stabbed in the neck by an inmate wielding a plastic shank. The inmate who spent time with Wall Joseph Sanderlin was involved in at least two attacks at Lanesboro, Wynns attorneys say. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up. The. [5] The prisoners were stripped, locked in their cells and shot. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. The slain officer, Bias Easley, worked at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, which is located near Wadesboro. Fan-favorite Buc-ees gas station confirms new Florida location near Interstate 75, Jo-To Japanese Steak House, a Bradenton-Sarasota landmark for 40 years, to close soon, Ghislaine Maxwell appeals verdict and 20-year sex-trafficking sentence, Judge releases Florida students jailed for posting TikTok videos with Nerf gun filter, Public has a right to know: Lawmakers seek to open Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records, 3 young teens charged with murder after 15-year-old shot in Bradenton, sheriff says, Deputies arrest Parrish student accused of making false tip of school shooting threat, Florida man known as Milkshake pleads guilty to assault in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot. "We've got to find a way to retain the people who work for us," Guice said. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. October 04, 1992. "I think if I hadn't gotten over there in time, (Mosley) probably would have cut her throat," McCoy said. [21] A prison officer and two inmates were injured during a fight at Lanesboro Correctional Institution Thursday morning, state prison officials said. Your morale goes down," she said. And with Wall's signal after the fact, telling (Vazquez) essentially to be quiet, I don't know what other inference you can draw from it.. Hours after the murder, video also shows Wall gesturing to the killer. When Callahan was attacked, two other officers were nearby, according to Anthony Jernigan, who heads the State Bureau of Investigation office that covers northeastern North Carolina. The prison is named for the nearby community of Lanesboro. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. April 2011 - Richard Neely, a former top administrator at Lanesboro, was charged with felony obstruction of justice following allegations that he destroyed video footage that might have shown officers using excessive force in a fight with inmates. According to charges contained in the federal indictment, Blyther worked as a correctional officer at the Lanesboro Correctional Institution (LCI), since renamed Anson Correctional Institution, a state prison located in Polkton, North Carolina. A locked padlock Officers found Dwyer dead at 10:15. They were among five inmates formerly held at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Charlotte, who said they were stabbed by gang members who operated openly in a prison wing overseen by Jeffrey Wall. Another prison manager in that cramped office at the time told investigators that she was not paying attention as Wall spoke to the gang members, Bridges said. [2] The conflict consisted of 2,069 prisoners against 15 guards, resulting in the guards quickly losing control of the prisoners. Wynn said he did not want to be branded as a prison snitch, a label that can get inmates hurt. For instance, they noted, he failed to tell prison officers after his attacker assaulted him the first time. Bridges said that, in her opinion, Walls meeting with the Latino gang members was connected in some way with the subsequent fight. Forensic tests did not tie any of the shanks in Walls ceiling to the attacks on Turner, according to Bridges, the SBI agent. Guice, the prison leader, acknowledged that the state faces significant staffing challenges. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. The pay is low an average of the about $35,000 annually at maximum-security prisons and the work is dangerous and demanding. Prison officials investigated the murder, but refused to provide the Observer their report. Blyther was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, and had his initial appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer. [9] SBI officials say theres no proof that happened in the Turner case. "We've got a lot of folks who are not staying with us.". Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. Jurors deliberated for about half an hour before convicting Mikel. The officer said Wall asked her to go into his old office and retrieve a bag of shanks from the ceiling. A search warrant affidavit filed earlier this year said that homemade knives were found in the ceiling above the office of Jeffery Wall, a former manager over the prison unit where Turner was killed. He joined the Folk Nation at age 16, was convicted of damaging property soon afterward, and later committed armed robbery, kidnapping and more than a dozen other crimes. At no time did (I) knowingly or willingly allow any inmate to attack any inmate, he wrote. Lock Willis, G. D. (2002). At a pre-disciplinary conference, Wall told prison officials he was planning to put the shanks in a display case that would be used to train new staff members. In court documents, Parsons has denied that. 13, 2000)", "The stories and horrors in Brazil's penal system", "Outrage: 24 Years Later, Carandiru Prison Massacre of 111 is Called Self Defense", "Police officers get 156 years for 1992 Brazilian prison massacre", "Carandiru Massacre's Defining Moment for Brazil - Fair Observer", "Brazil's prison massacres are a frightening window into gang warfare", "Brazil police jailed for prison 'massacre', "Brazil police sentenced over Carandiru jail massacre", "Brazil Carandiru jail massacre police guilty", "15 police guilty in Brazil prison killings", "UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS, Office of the High Commissioner South America", "16 Brazil declares trial on Carandiru massacre null in shocking blow for justice", "Appeal begins in Brazil against acquittal of 74 police", "Opinion | Brazil's Deadly Prison System", "Sepultura's 'Chaos A.D.' Is the Anti-Colonial Rallying Cry that Thrash has Always Needed", Federal Correctional Institution, Talladega riot, Arizona State Prison Complex Lewis riot, United States Penitentiary, Florence riot, Agricultural Penitentiary of Monte Cristo riot, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carandiru_massacre&oldid=1140965457, People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Brazil, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Portuguese-language text, Articles needing additional references from September 2018, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The massacre is the subject of the song "Manifest" on the, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 17:49. The lawsuit being litigated at Charlottes federal courthouse this week was brought by Stacey Wynn, an inmate who suffered serious injuries following two November 2011 assaults at Lanesboro.